Language: Malayalam
Starring:
Direction: Vipin Das
Music: Ankit Menon
Cinematography: Bablu Aju
Editing: John Kutty
My favorite character from the Ramayana is Sitadevi, Lord Ram’s dutiful wife, the one who survived the raging fire test. The perfect woman according to one of the most revered scriptures in the world. I say she is my favorite not for her demureness or her unwavering devotion to her husband. But I love her because she chose HER happiness and followed her soulmate Shriram to the forest. She followed this path despite what society told her about how treacherous it could be. Then when left in the unforgiving dark forest by the husband, she didn’t fade away into a silent whimper and give up. Instead, she survived by finding herself a place to raise two strong sons who gave her husband a run for his money in an impromptu battle. And like all husbands at the end of an argument, when Shriram finally realized his folly, he begged her to come home with him. Now instead of running back into his arms with joyful tears, she said “Nope. My job here is done. You guys can take this from here.” And she moved back into her mother’s womb. Sita over and out! Total rocking star, isn’t she?
The reason she is my favorite is that she teaches us something that most women can only DREAM of achieving – emotional independence. This is precisely the perspective Jaya jaya jaya hai tries to portray in its film.
The movie addresses a very common theme and I’m one hundred percent certain that any girl who grew up in Kerala has probably experienced at least one such scenario. One or more of the following common scenarios occurs when the boy child is given preference over his sister. Sacrifices made by the sister at every turn in life and every decision in her life is taken by everyone else but her. Ultimately, she is blamed for having all the freedom and still not getting it right. It’s a kick-ass story (literally and figuratively) and may appear a bit exaggerated to most. Especially the fight scenes. I won’t give away any spoilers here, but for those of you who are annoyed by a certain “thing,” imagine Prithviraj or Tovino doing the same “fight sequence” onscreen. If you’ve got no issues with them doing it, well then, you shouldn’t have any “realistic” issue with anyone else doing it either. Absolute knockout performances by Basil, Azees, Sudheer and Kanakam.
I must give special mention to Darshana, who so perfectly captures the silent struggles of a woman that when her character evolves, you feel the punch with an extra jolt (again, quite literally and figuratively). Humor was aptly placed in the film, but one that sticks out in my mind is about chicken prices.
Jaya shows us through this movie that every woman needs to give herself permission to be selfish and stop being the biggest hindrance to herself. First, she shows us that ‘you’ are not the problem in a disrespectful situation. Only this realization will you be able to find your own path to freedom with absolutely no guilt – exactly like Sita Devi!
I have come to understand that women should first work on their emotional independence before seeking financial independence. Women need to give themselves the freedom they need. The freedom to untangle themselves from the web of burdens they spin in their own minds. Finally, the freedom to convince themselves that our happiness should not be the sacrificial lamb for everyone else’s peace of mind. Be like Sita Devi!
For those of you who have not seen it on the big screen, it’s on Hotstar.
Reviewed By: Anila
Similar Posts
- None Found
Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey
0.00
RVK
Movie Rating
7
ha ha ha ha…. Nice..